BOUNTIFUL - Last season the Braves put together an athletic basketball team to complement standout Jessica Smith. Though the rest were unlike Smith in choosing basketball as their primary sport, they were as athletic a team as any in the state and proved to be a pesky opponent.

Smith has since taken her game to Weber State, while Robyn Wall is playing soccer at Dixie State and Stephanie Holmes is pitching at the College of Southern Idaho. The three were the core of last year's Braves' squad, which advanced to the state tournament.

This year, head coach Kelly Anderson will look to rebuild.

"Seven of our top nine players last year were seniors," said Anderson. "We definitely lack experience this year."

Besides returning only two players with varsity experience, Kate Pawlowski and Chelsea Forbes, Anderson is faced with the same dilemma as last year-- secondary sport athletes. Forbes earned second-team all-state honors for helping the Braves' soccer team win the state title earlier this year, while Pawlowski also played soccer. Shelly Stuart earned a share of the doubles state title, which helped the Braves tie for the state title.

"We are trying to make athletes into basketball players," said Anderson. "We're so athletic and scrappers, and we play hard, but we just don't have the basketball skills. I know we have it in us to do well, it's just a matter of doing it."

Pawlowski and Forbes, both juniors, will pilot the Braves' backcourt. Look for sophomore Brittny Kelly and seniors Chloe Wilson and Lindsay Johnson to lead the frontline.

"Kate has grown up around the game all of her life, since her mom is a college coach," explained Anderson. "She's a good ball handler and so is Chelsea. We'll be okay against the press with those two.

"Lindsay and Chloe are both good rebounders and defenders and that's what we've asked them to do. Brittny is very raw, but athletic and has the ability to score."

Anderson says a weakness for the Braves is their depth, but he's expecting seniors Roxanne Winegar and Stuart, as well as junior Kortney Murdock to help.

Something else playing into Bountiful's season is the coaching staff. Anderson is in his final season as head coach and athletic director--he'll move on to the new high school in Syracuse next year. Former Bountiful standout Nancy Seljaas has joined the staff as an assistant coach after wrapping up her collegiate career at BYU. Seljaas was a junior in 2001 when the Braves won the 4-A state championship and was named Utah's Ms. Basketball her senior season. Seljaas has brought a quicker, perimeter-driven of-fense, which the Braves are still learning.

Bountiful is 0-4 in the preseason, losing 59-42 to Judge Tuesday night. Pawlowski had 17 points, while Forbes chipped in 10 in the loss.

DAVIS

Look for the Darts to be the best team in South Davis and one of the best teams in the state this season. They're ranked sixth overall and offer up a tough and talented team.

Returning to this year's squad is Jessica Wilde. The senior point guard will set up the offense for the Darts, which is led by junior Dani Hosking.

"Jessica has a good head for the game and sees the floor well," said Davis coach Amy Wright. "Dani is good at penetrating inside."

What Wright is especially excited about is the shooting ability of her two guards, along with Kelsey Campbell off the bench.

"Our guards can shoot the lights out. They are very good at the three and we have Jenica (Johnson) on the inside to keep opponents honest."

Johnson, a 6'3" senior, brings a strong presence to the middle that helps the Darts balance out their offense -- something Wright says is an improved strength from last season.

Joining Johnson under the basket are seniors Jesse Stokes and Corinne Johnson.

"Jesse is a hard-nosed kid who is good off traps and has a soft touch," explained Wright. "Corinne is probably the smallest forward in the state, pushing 5'7", but keeps the ball up high and has a quick release."

Allie Blake was a pleasant surprise for the Darts volleyball team and Wright is hoping her success carries over to the basketball court. The 5-10 sophomore will see time off the bench at post, the only position in which Davis lacks depth.

"We're still ironing out some of our starting lineup, but this really is an experienced team," said Wright.

The Darts fell in the first round of the state tourney last year and look to improve on that this season.

Davis is 2-0 in the preseason, but faced its toughest test Tuesday night against fifth-ranked Brighton. The Darts stayed with the Bengals through three quarters, but were outscored by seven in the final quarter of play, losing 56-49. Hosking had 27 points to lead Davis (2-1).

WOODS CROSS

Now in his sixth season as head coach of the Wildcats, Mitch Smith says this year's team is the best he's had.

"We return three starters from last year and another who started the second half of the season so we have experience," said Smith. "We are defensively athletic and can get up and down the floor. We also have size."

The only problem Smith is facing is finding a point guard -- something he admits has led to a lack of patience and good ball handling by the team.

"We're aggressive and want to score, and those are good things, but we need to learn to be patient," Smith explained.

Playing in the backcourt are seniors Heather Anderson and Janice Wilkinson, along with McHelle Leavitt and Brittnee Smith.

"Heather led our team in scoring last season and is a good penetrater," said Smith. "McHelle is our best shooter and Brittney is another good penetrater. Janice is very athletic."

Lauren Hally will start at center for the Wildcats. The 6'2" senior is strong inside. Playing alongside her is sophomore Jamie Mokofisi, who's leading the team in the preseason with an average of 14 rebounds per game.

First-team all-state soccer player Kassidy Christensen will fill in wherever needed in the front court.

The Wildcats have yet to win a game this preseason, falling to 5-A powers Davis and Clearfield and fourth-ranked West in 4-A.

"We know the better teams at state play tough preseason schedules," said Smith. "Even if we lose every preseason game, we'll be okay if we get things going for region."

The Wildcats advanced to the state tournament last year, losing in the first round to a tough Murray squad. They started out their region season at 1-5 before turning things around to finish 4-2 in their final six region contests.

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